


Compensate

by thefriendyouleftinthehallway



Series: incomplete works on possibly-indefinite hiatus [3]
Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Gen, Human Data (Star Trek), Transporter Malfunction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-03
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:08:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23455288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thefriendyouleftinthehallway/pseuds/thefriendyouleftinthehallway
Summary: A needlessly complicated transporter incident results, somehow, into Data becoming human. He’s always wanted to be more human, but how well does he handle the real thing? More importantly, is the process reversible?
Relationships: Crew of the Starship Enterprise & Data
Series: incomplete works on possibly-indefinite hiatus [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1687315
Comments: 7
Kudos: 30





	Compensate

**Author's Note:**

> (This note is on every fic in the series.) I have a lot of unfinished work that I may never get back to and it seemed like a bit of a waste so I thought I’d just post the better ones as-is. That being said, I would like to state that while this piece of work is self-categorised as ‘unfinished’, that does not necessarily mean that I won’t ever return to them, so sadly the concepts are NOT up for grabs. (However, you can always post a work and put this in the ‘[this work is a remix, a translation, a podfic, or was inspired by another work](https://archiveofourown.org/help/parent-works-help.html)’ section: I’d be really flattered and surprised.)

It wasn’t a particularly rare occurrence for the USS Enterprise to run into an unknown planet. Marking said planet in the galactic map was a typically simple process, especially for what appeared to be a fairly standard Class L. 

The survey team which beamed down to the planet to take some basic notes and tricorder readings on the planet’s flora was headed by Commander Riker, and included several of the crew’s on-board botanists, as well as Lt. Commander Data. 

It had begun with the finding of the planet itself, and the Enterprise slipping gently into orbit. Crew around scanners pointed out their findings. “No readings for life-forms, but the plant-life appears somewhat unique.”

This fact sparked the decision to send a survey team in the first place, after the atmosphere was deemed non-toxic, of course. 

Unfortunately, as seemed to be the bad luck of the Enterprise and its crew, things quickly spiralled out of control. 

“Captain, we have lost contact with the survey team,” said the crew member standing at the communications panel. 

“Elaborate,” ordered Captain Picard almost instantly. 

“They just… dropped out.”

Suddenly, the ship shook violently, throwing the crew across the room. 

“Shields up!” The Captain called. 

\---

“The levels of dextrose in the water is unusually high,” Lt. Commander Data noted, holding his tricorder out in front of him. “Interestingly, the plant-life has adequately compensated, and appears to be thriving.”

“Have we got all the readings needed?” Riker asked the team. After collective confirmation, he moved his hand to activate his combadge. “Enterprise,” he stated. 

The ship failed to acknowledge. He tried again. “Enterprise.” No response. “Data, could you contact the ship?” He asked. 

Data attempted. No luck. 

“No signal,” Riker noted curiously, with a hint of concern in his tone. An action the reader might be familiar with, he began to walk slowly around the terrain, searching for a connection. 

Before he could get far, alien life-forms charged out of hidden holes in the ground, much like those of the Terran trapdoor spider, and began running towards the survey team. 

\---

“Can you get the signal back?” Picard asked the communications officer, in between orders to return fire at the swarm of small shuttles that had unexpectedly emerged from the planet’s surface. 

“Trying, sir. I… I’ve got it.”

“Commander Riker, this is Picard. Do you read me?” the Captain asked. 

_ “Loud and clear, sir. You’ve got to beam us out of here,”  _ he responded. 

“Acknowledged,” Picard said. “Bridge to transporter room. Get that team back up here now.”

_ “On it, sir.”  _

\---

The survey team was locked onto fairly easily. As they beamed up, the last thing they saw was Data, having been singled out and swarmed by the planet’s inhabitants, (it was evident these creatures had managed to avoid detection by building something to interfere with a scanner), and in the process of making his way out of his attacker’s grasp. 

\---

As the rest of the survey team formed in the transporter room, they all noticed the missing presence of Data. 

“Where is he?” Riker demanded. 

“I can’t get a lock on him, sir,” said the ensign operating the transporter. “The computer can’t separate him from the surrounding life-forms, they’re too close.”

“Give me that,” Riker said, moving towards the control panel. “I’ve got a lock,” he confirmed within minutes. The ship was shaking as the shuttles from the planet continued to fire, having long ago got through the shielding. “Beaming now.”

As the white light began to swirl in the transporter bay, the ship took a particularly nasty hit which sent many of its crew to the ground. Riker stood and watched the light in the transporter swirl. And swirl. And swirl. It wasn’t stopping. Data wasn’t forming. 

He touched his combadge. “Transporter room to Bridge, this is Riker. Damage report for the recent hit required, I believe it has affected transporter function.” 

_ “Correct,”  _ a voice answered.  _ “Transporter function has been eliminated by the recent strike.”  _

Riker’s eyes widened slightly. “Computer,” he said to the panel. “How much of Data’s energy pattern was received before the transporter went offline?” 

“64%,” the computer answered. 

“Can the remaining 36% be compensated for by existing patterns stored in computer memory of Data’s previous beams?” Riker asked. 

“Negative,” the computer answered. 

“Why not?” Riker asked loudly, anger in his tone. 

The ensign, rather than the computer, answered him. “Sir, if I may? Lt. Commander Data is a mechanical being. The computer doesn’t store back-ups of cargo beams, and Data, being mechanical, registers as cargo.”

“Computer,” Riker said again. “Can the remaining 36% be compensated for?” 

“Affirmative,” the computer said. 

“Do it!” Riker commanded. 

Data began to form in the transporter bay. 

“We have the survey team,” Riker called into his combage. 

The crew of the Enterprise felt collective relief as the warp core engaged to sweep them far away from their attackers. 

Now that a calmness had settled, the occupants of the transporter room turned their eyes to the recently formed Data. 

“Data?” Riker asked. 

Data turned around. There he was, whole. Pristine uniform and inhumanly neat hair. Riker blinked. Data’s… pink skin? Blue eyes? 

“Commander Riker,” Data said, sounding just as mechanical as ever. “I am afraid that my systems do not feel correct.” And then the android (human?) dropped to the ground, unconscious, like a doll whose strings had been suddenly snipped. 

  
  


\---

  
  


The meeting consisted of the ensign who had been assigned to the transporter room at the time, Commander Riker, Captain Picard, and Lt. Geordi La Forge, whose presence was mainly due to his status as Data’s friend. 

“Where is he now?” Picard asked. 

“Sick bay, Sir. He was transported there shortly after his collapse,” Riker answered. 

“And remind me once more why he was taken there instead of engineering,” Picard requested. 

“Captain, it seems as if the issues with his beaming have somehow…” Riker trailed off. 

“Go on,” Picard urged. 

“Have somehow turned him into a biological being, Sir.”

\---

He felt… many things. Physically, his abdomen felt as though it were folding infinitely in on itself, his head felt like the internal pressure had increased tenfold, and in simple terms he felt positively awful. There were other feelings, feelings that were definitely tied into physical sensations, but were not wholly physical. They were something else. 

The physical aspect of this particular feeling was an intense fluttering in his chest, his fingers were buzzing, his body felt fragmented, and half of it seemed to be moving faster than the other. He couldn’t… breathe? But he had never previously needed to do that. And yet now, it was disturbing him. 

With great speed, he flung himself up into a sitting position, opening his eyes to find himself located in sick-bay. He gasped in a lungful of air, mind reeling. 

“Data.” Suddenly, Riker was in front of him, Picard not far behind. 

Data blinked, still breathing too fast, staring at his surroundings in confusion. “Commander,” he said. “What am I doing here?”

“Data, there was an accident with the transporter,” Riker said. 

“Involving me? How bad is the damage?” he asked, holding his hands up to his face, pulling them away and squinting in confusion. He turned them around, and then looked down at his body. 

“No damage,” Riker said. “You’re changed.”

“Changed? In what way?” Data asked, and there was a flutter of… anxiety? In his chest. 

“Data, we think you’re… human.”


End file.
